Heretofore, automatic food cooking machines which use a continuous conveyor system for carrying food products, load and unload the food products from the same end. Such food cookers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,499,380; 2,790,380; and 4,103,606. Such cookers are unacceptable to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for cooking food for mass human consumption. The USDA requires that such food be loaded and removed in separate locations by separate personnel. Further, USDA regulations require the food product be protected from direct exposure to the heat source.
A variety of food cookers have been patented in which the food product is loaded at one end and removed at an opposite or remote end. Such cookers are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,238,304; 3,721,178; and 4,188,868. Each of these patents disclose a cooking machine wherein the food is placed on a coveyor, passed over or through a heating element and deposited in an end container. The problem associated with this type of cooker is that the food product makes only one pass over the heat source before exiting the machine. This is unacceptable for the proper preparation of poultry or other meats requiring a longer cooking time.